How to Make Rock Candy

Learning how to make rock candy is a cinch. Rock candy equates to flavored sugar crystals that can be put on a stick or a string, so making rock candy takes a few simple steps. You and your children can make a batch together as a fun way to introduce kids to cooking in the kitchen.

Making Rock Candy at Home

Making rock candy at home can be a fun process. We’ve put together this guide in order to help simplify the process.

Rock Candy Ingredients

2 Cups of Sugar

1 Cup of Water

Food Coloring

1 Bowling Pan

1 Quart Container (Glass or Jar)

Cotton Strings (optional)

Ice Cream Sticks (optional)

Paper Clip

Short Piece of String

Tie a String to a Stick

How to Make Rock Candy

Tie your string to a popsicle stick, ice cream stick or pencil. Attack a paperclip to the end of the string, to weigh down the string.

Roll String in Sugar

Moisten the string, but not too much. Roll the string in sugar, which should begin to accumulate sugar crystals. Dangle the string with the sugar and paper clip inside the jar, with your stick spread across the face of the jar, keeping everything from falling completely inside.

Boil 1 Cup of Water – Dissolve Sugar in Water

Boil one cup of water. The water is boiling when it starts to bubble. Then add your two cups of sugar into the water, which creates a sugar solution. Add your favorite color food coloring into the sugar syrup solution.

Once the coloring mixes fully into the sugar water, take the mixture off the boiler.

Pour Syrup into the Jar

Finally, pour the sugar syrup into the jar with the string of sugar. The sugar already on the string should begin to attract sugar crystals from the sugar mixture. Let the jar sit (covered by Saran wrap or plastic wrap) for 2-3 days.

Keep the jar covered for this length of time, though you should check to see if crystals are forming on the string in the meantime. It’s best to use a transparent jar, so you don’t have to remove the covering. Once the crystals have formed to your satisfaction, the process is complete and you can eat your rock candy.

Making Rock Candy

Like I said before, learning how to make rock candy is so easy, even your small kids can help (besides the boiling water part). Making rock candy is a fun family project you can start on Friday afternoon when school lets out, and hopefully be able to enjoy by Sunday afternoon. Each sibling can design rock candy in their favorite color.